HIT SQUAD ‘STRIKE’
Russian defector who flew Putin’s £15m chopper to Ukraine ‘found SHOT DEAD in Spain’ after chilling vow to hunt him down
It is unclear who is responsible for his apparent death
A RUSSIAN pilot who defected to Ukraine in an Mi-8 helicopter was reportedly shot dead in Spain, sparking fears of a Kremlin murder.
Maksim Kuzminov was yesterday found with multiple gunshot wounds in a parking garage near Benidorm, it has been alleged.
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Kuzminov's apparent death, reported by Spanish and Russian state media, came days after Vladimir Putin’s nemesis Alexei Navalny was allegedly beaten to death in a penal colony.
His body was reportedly found in the coastal town of Villajoyosa, in Alicante, south of Valencia on Spain's Costa Blanca.
News of his supposed death came after he landed a £15million armoured chopper at a military airfield in Kharkiv, Ukraine in August - and was condemned as a traitor in Russia.
Kuminov was said to have been promised a £400,000 reward for defecting with Russian military kit to Ukraine.
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Ukraine’s military intelligence later confirmed it had courted him to defect, as Kuzimov appealed to other pilots to follow his lead.
In an interview broadcast by Ukraine’s authorities, Kuzimov said: "I contacted representatives of Ukrainian intelligence, explained my situation, to which they offered this option: ‘Come on, we guarantee your safety, guarantee new documents, guarantee monetary compensation, a reward.'"
He was at the time reported to be 28 years old. The man found deceased in Spain yesterday was reportedly 33.
Russian state media sensationally claimed Kuzminov shot and killed two of his crewmates who did not support him before he touched down in Ukraine.
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Their names were Nikita Kiryanov, 28, and Khushbat Tursunov, 35.
Reports also alleged Putin’s GRU military intelligence agents had orders to “eliminate” him, no matter how long it took.
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The same GRU unit was allegedly behind the botched nerve agent attacks on Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury.
Last night, Russian state media pointed the finger at Ukraine.
TASS alleged: "Ukrainian intelligence agencies could have eliminated [Kuzimov] as an inconvenient witness."
After landing in Kyiv, Kuzminov in a documentary accused Putin of committing “genocide” in Ukraine.
I am very offended by what is happening now (in Ukraine). Murder, tears, blood. Just people killing each other
Maksim Kuzminov
The pilot's wife and children were said to be in Ukraine.
He said: “I am very offended by what is happening now (in Ukraine). Murder, tears, blood. Just people killing each other.
“What is happening now is just genocide of the Ukrainian people, both Ukrainian and Russian.
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“The basis of my action is not to contribute to these crimes.”
TV military expert Sergei Zenin said the pilot "spat on the memory of his grandfather", while the defector’s former superior officer Denys Chernavyn called him a traitor.
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